Cyclone Lua nears north-west Australia coast
Severe tropical cyclone Lua - upgraded to a category four storm - is threatening communities with torrential rain and winds up to 160km/h (100mph).
It is expected to make landfall in the next few hours between Port Hedland and Broome.
Australia's main iron ore mines, located nearby, have been shut down and flights in the area cancelled.
"There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately," Western Australian emergency officials said in a warning to residents in the sparsely populated Pilbara region.
The meteorology bureau also warned of a "very dangerous storm tide" in the area.
The small communities of Pardoo and Wallal are believed to be directly in the path of the cyclone and residents of those areas have been warned to seek shelter.
"Destructive winds to 160km/h are possible between Port Hedland and Bidyadanga extending to the inland eastern Pilbara later in the day," the bureau said.
"Very destructive winds up to 230km/h are forecast near the cyclone centre."
Upgraded
The last iron ore vessels able to leave Port Hedland before the storm arrived set sail on Friday morning.
Cyclone Lua has picked up speed as it travelled through the Indian Ocean. It was upgraded to a category three storm on Friday morning and then to a category four as it neared the coast - category five is the highest.
Australia's main iron ore terminals, which are some of the biggest in the world, are located around Port Hedland on the Pilbara coast.
Global Miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton both have major operations in the area and around 400m tonnes of iron ore passes through the ports each year.
Australia's cyclone season typically runs from November to April and can affect oil and natural gas production, as well as mining and port operations.
